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| Situation Update No. 7 Ref.no.: EQ-20100227-25098-CHL
Situation Update No. 7
On 2010-02-27 at 10:50:56 [UTC]
Event: Earthquake
Location: Chile Región del Maule 42 km W Cauquenes
Number of Deads: 47 person(s)
Situation: A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, killing at least 47 people, knocking down buildings and triggering a tsunami. President Michelle Bachelet confirmed 47 deaths and said more were possible. Telephone and power lines were down, making damage assessments difficult in the early morning darkness. "Never in my life have I experienced a quake like this, it's like the end of the world," one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake damaged buildings and forced staff to evacuate the regional hospital. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles (90 km) northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles (35 km) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT). Chilean television and radio stations said several buildings collapsed in the city of Curico and that there was damage to buildings in the historic center of the capital Santiago, about 200 miles (320 km) north of the epicenter. The capital's international airport was forced to close, a highway bridge collapsed and chunks of buildings fell into the street. In the moments after the quake, people streamed onto the streets of the capital, hugging each other and crying. There were blackouts in parts of Santiago and communications were still down in the area closest to the epicenter. Bachelet urged people to stay calm. "With a quake of this size we undoubtedly can't rule out more deaths and probably injuries," she said. An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over can cause "tremendous damage," the USGS says. |  | | | |
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